42 Rattle noise from the rear suspension
42 21 46 2038689/5 August 2, 2021. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 42 number 20-44 dated May
13, 2020 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

All

2015 - 2022

All

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

5

-

Revised header (Added Model Years)

4

05/13/2020

Revised header (Added Model Years)
Revised Required Parts and Tools (Added Tools table)

3

06/20/2018

Revised header (Added Model Years)

Customer states:
 Clunking or rattling noises are heard from the rear suspension area when the vehicle is driven over bumps.

Technical Background
These noises can be caused by an improperly seated rear bump stop (which occurs when the rear bump stop
was not fully inserted into the rear shock absorber mounting during PDI).

Production Solution
A bump stop installation tool (SET900) was
developed to aid with the installation of rear
bump stops during PDI (Figure 1). This tool
provides the necessary leverage to seat the rear
bump stop in the shock absorber mounting.

Figure 1. The SET900 bump stop installation tool.

Page 1 of 4
© 2021 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Tip: One SET900 tool was sent to all Audi dealers in November 2014. Additional tools can be
purchased through the Audi Special Tools and Equipment Program.

Service
To ensure proper installation of rear bump stops (in
Audi models without air suspension):
1. Clean the top of the rear bump stops and coat with
tire mounting paste.
2. Use the SET900 special tool to fully press the rear
bump stops into the upper shock mounts (Figure 2).
 The purpose of the tool is to properly seat the rear
bump stops in the rear shock mounts (Figure 3),
which will prevent them from dropping out of the
rear upper shock mounts and causing the noise.

Figure 2. The SET900 tool being used to install a rear
bump stop.

Page 2 of 4
© 2021 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Figure 3. Comparison between rear bump stop
installation without and with the SET900 tool.
Note:
Always ensure that the dust boot does not get caught on the top of the shock once the vehicle is lowered.
Tip: A video demonstrating the use of this tool is
available at: https://audiexternal.kzoplatform.com:443/swf/player/286 (Figure
4).
See TSB 2039206: 00 Viewing TSB videos for more
information about viewing videos.

Figure 4. QR code for viewing the video with a QR
code reader on phones and tablets. Alternatively, the
video can be accessed through computer internet
browsers at the link provided in this bulletin.

Page 3 of 4
© 2021 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Warranty
This TSB is informational only and not applicable to any Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Tool Number

Tool Description

SET900

Bump stop installation tool

Additional Information
The following Technical Service Bulletin(s) will be necessary to complete this procedure:
 TSB 2039206, 00 Viewing TSB videos.
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2038689) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and/or ETKA for the latest information and parts bulletins. Please check the
Repair Manual for fasteners, bolts, nuts, and screws that require replacement during the repair.
©2021 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest
information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Page 4 of 4
© 2021 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.